By Steve Switzer, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Taylorville, IL
Read Proverbs 21.
There is usually that one person in every household who thinks they are good with directions. In ours, that person would be me. I’ve been known to argue with my GPS mobile app. When it comes to asking for directions, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I know exactly where I am going and the right way to get there. Occasionally, however, my “right way” has proven to be an unwanted detour.
As humans, we possess a marvelous capacity for self-deception, and the enemy finds this capacity to be one of his most effective weapons against us. Proverbs 21:2 speaks to this issue when it says, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.”
As humans, we possess a marvelous capacity for self-deception, and the enemy finds this capacity to be one of his most effective weapons against us. Click To TweetThis clearly serves as a warning to beware of self-deception. I can’t trust that my eyes are always leading me the right way. It is possible to be sincere, but to be sincerely wrong. The verse also should encourage us to remember that there is someone who gets it right every time. The Lord always sees things the right way and is never fooled by our confident, though often flawed, sense of direction.
This goes beyond self-examination or self-awareness. As helpful as they can be, we can’t forget that our “self” is frequently deceived. So, we must regularly seek and apply God’s assessment of our direction decisions. We would be wise to follow David’s example daily: “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” (Psalm 139:23)
Reflective Questions:
- How does God’s knowledge of my heart both challenge and encourage me?
- Is there an area of my life where I stubbornly refuse to ask for direction?
- How can I regularly seek God’s direction about the direction and pace of my life?
Memory Verse:
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for guiding me and showing me each path to take. Help me to not be deceived by my own sense of direction.
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GOOD STUFF: This goes beyond self-examination or self-awareness. As helpful as they can be, we can’t forget that our “self” is frequently deceived. So, we must regularly seek and apply God’s assessment of our direction decisions. We would be wise to follow David’s example daily: “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” (Psalm 139:23)